"Megateo" (Photo: National Police)
News

Colombian authorities uncover drug lord’s vast network of government officials

by Camilo Mejia Giraldo

Investigators of Colombia’s Prosecutor General’s Office and military intelligence have identified almost 50 public officials that allegedly form a vast network of one of the most wanted drug trafficker in the country, local media reported.

Army intelligence and members of a special unit from the Prosecutor’s office found that at least 10 police officers, 10 members of the military, 20 political leaders, three prosecutors and four of the Prosecutor General’s technical investigation team (CTI) had received payments from Victor Ramon Navarro Serrano, alias “Megateo”, UNO news reported on Sunday.

With a current bounty of $5 million, Megateo is leader of the “Libardo Mora Toro” Front of the now-demobilized Popular Liberation Army (EPL) guerrilla group and is known to be on the DEA list of most wanted drug traffickers in Colombia.

Reports stated that through an investigation spanning 18 months, the authorities were able to uncover the network of state officials that “served” the drug lord and helped him evade both police, and continue operating in the state of Norte de Santander on the Venezuelan border.

According to UNO, recent operations have resulted in the capture of one CTI member — who supplied weapons — as well as three guerrillas working for Megateo, his chief of security, and his wife who was “responsible for communications and purchase of coca paste.”

Another eight members of his group, who are linked to arms and fuel trafficking, have also been captured in the Norte de Santander by local police.

According to organized crime website InSight Crime, the drug lord has been linked with other guerrilla groups, such as the FARC and the ELN, the country’s two largest armed rebel groups, and continues to work cooperatively with both groups, as well as the supply of cocaine to one of the most powerful drug organizations in the country, “Los Rastrojos”.

Sources